


Spooning Partners

by PilDoor



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Anal Sex, Ballet AU, Bottom Castiel, Bottom Dean, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Sam is in college, Sex, Smut, Switching, Top Castiel, Top Dean, like tiny lil baby panic, very very brief bi panic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-28 09:26:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6323890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilDoor/pseuds/PilDoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has just moved to San Francisco to be closer to Sam at Stanford. </p><p>Every morning he's on the same bus as this beautiful dark-haired angel-faced man who insists on wearing sweatpants all the time. </p><p>Dean loves his ass.<br/>Castiel doesn't know how to date and his friends read too many women's magazines.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spooning always leads to....

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure where this will go but I've had this in my head for a very long time. I really frigging love ballet AUs but I've only ever come across like two.
> 
> I don't know anything about ballet but Cas dances it.

Dean was actually too tired to be out. He had known already when Benny asked, but Dean was new in town, didn’t have a lot of friends and Benny promised to buy the first beer. In theory that had all sounded fine, and so Dean had gone but Benny had apparently had an ulterior motive for going to the bar and he had left Dean about a half an hour ago to go chat up some chick. Normally Dean would have just followed his lead, but as said, he was tired. New town, new job, new people and yet – same old bullshit still didn’t leave him alone.

He had been there about a month now and it had been good, really. His job at the garage paid well, especially considering all Dean had was a GED and a letter of recommendation from his old boss, who just so happened to be like a father to him so the letter was rather brilliant. The new garage was bigger though, more colleagues, which Dean considered an advantage. How else would he have any resemblance of a social life? He worked a lot, too much to want to bother with other arenas. Except bars every now and again, but that doesn’t really count, you know. No, most of his time will be spent at work; he has to, because even with the aid Sam’s education is expensive. And it’s on Dean –

“Hi,” a dark voice interrupts his thoughts and he looks to his left to see a slightly familiar, dark-haired man smiling openly. 

“Uh, hey,” Dean said wondering if this was one of those bars. 

“I do apologize, but it’s just – we’ve been on the same bus for a month now,” like that clarified anything. Well, perhaps why the stranger looked familiar. 

Dean raised his eyebrows, “we have, haven’t we?” 

The guy’s eyes lit up at that. They were brilliantly blue, “so you have seen me,” a blush and a bit of coughing, “uh, you know, anyway. I’m Cas,” he extends his hand at that and Dean shakes it. 

“Dean.” 

Silence for less than a minute before they speak at the same time.

“Can I get you a refill?”

“Do you want a drink?”

Cas actually legitimately giggles and Dean thinks that he has definitely been drinking tonight. “How ‘bout I buy first round?” he suggests anyway. Because he has taken notice of the man on the bus. How could he not – with his dark hair, fair skin and just about most perfect ass to have ever existed? Dean actually used to consider himself a boob-guy, but he figured it didn’t really apply. He also used to consider himself straight, but so far he had just decided not to think about it. Why get all riled up over a little harmless fantasizing about some tall, dark-haired stranger on a bus. He was always wearing fucking sweatpants for Christ’s sake, he must know what he’s doing.

Both men wanted to buy the last round so they ended up drinking more than they probably should have. But Cas was fun- not funny, just fun, easy to talk to – and seemed pretty interested, so the beer flowed just about as easily as the conversation. Which had gone from innocent flirting to downright suggestive and when Cas looked up at Dean through thick eyelashes and whispered in his phone-sex worthy voice, “do you wanna get outta here?” Dean didn’t hesitate. 

They had to get a cab, since Dean’s baby was broken and he couldn’t afford to fix her up at the moment and they would have been too inebriated to drive anyway. It took a while to hail one, because as soon as they left the bar and entered out into the fresh air of the parking lot they suddenly became keener on making out. 

Eventually they succeeded and they stumbled out of the taxi in front of a tall, white, very expensive-looking building, which Dean followed Cas into. They were laughing, sneaking glances at the doorman as they walked past him and once they were in the elevator they started making out again. 

Dean was smashed, but he knew that Cas’ apartment was big. And light. They were sitting on the living room couch – or Dean was, Cas was pretty much sitting in Dean’s lap – and had Dean been just a little bit more sober he would have stopped to think. It was a wonder he didn’t actually, he was so fond of overanalyzing and worrying himself into a frenzy anytime, anywhere. But instead of thinking about the fact that this was a guy and that they were on the same bus and would continue to be on the same bus even after a one night stand and that Cas was a really good conversationalist, he lost himself in Cas’ soft, pink lips and tongue deliciously licking at Dean’s, and he let his senses overwhelm him with the softness of Cas’ hair between his fingers, the way his hands seemed intent on learning every curve of Dean’s upper body and his dick in his jeans hard against Dean’s. 

They were both already moaning and it only accelerated as they started rutting hard against each other. Cas stopped nibbling at Dean’s neck and Dean didn’t even think to be embarrassed by the whine that escaped him, especially when Cas whispered against his ear, “we should take this to the bedroom.” Dean certainly wasn’t going to deny that. They got up and made their way to the bedroom as best they could while making out all the way, trying to get the other out of as much clothes as possible. They collapsed on the bed, Cas on top of Dean, his his white button-down hanging open. He pulled away from Dean’s mouth but Dean tried to chase his mouth, which made Cas grin and peck him quickly. “Gonna go get the lube, I won’t be a minute,” and he got off and went into the adjoined bathroom.  
Lying alone in the silent darkness Dean could really appreciate how utterly hammered he actually was. He was sort of impressed he could even get it up with so much alcohol in his system. He closed his eyes, could hear Cas opening a drawer in the next room. His bed was indescribably soft, like a cloud or something. It would seem fitting, that a guy with a face like an angel would have a bed like a cloud. But he had the ass of something more deviant. Like… Like what? He didn’t wanna say like the devil, because didn’t some stories depict him with the lower body of a goat or something? Wow, Dean thought to himself and didn’t get much further than that, because then he fell asleep.


	2. Morning Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens the morning after?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post the next chapter so soon but it's very short and it was ready so I got impatient. Lol.

Dean tried to hold on to the last bit of his slumber by keeping his eyes shut and nestling further into the silken sheets engulfing him and closer to the warm body that was pressed up against him. He could feel a miraculously shaped, muscular ass against his groin and smell a faint scent of ocean from the hair his face was pressed towards. It had a hint of sweat and… and beer? Beer! Dean sat straight up as he remembered the night before and found a room bathed in sunlight too bright for his hung-over eyes. 

The man – Cas – next to him stirred, twisted to look briefly at Dean before closing his eyes again and muttering, “what time is it?” 

Dean glanced at the clock and was relieved to see that he wouldn’t be that late for work. “Eight,” Dean said as he got up. 

Cas groaned, “why are you waking me now?” and he turned his back to Dean again and pulled the covers nearly all the way over his head. 

“I have to go to work. Don’t you?” Dean was looking for his T-shirt, having already put on his jeans and underwear, then remembered having shed it on the way to the bedroom last night. Cas mumbled something Dean took as a no. 

“Do you mind making coffee?” sounded from under the covers. Dean smiled at how adorably little of a morning person Cas was and agreed to his request.

Dean entered a very big kitchen with a lot of white panels, stainless steel and light wood cupboards. Next to a modern oven stood an even more modern coffee maker. Dean looked at it for a while. It was round, sort of like a dome and there was a hole in the middle where he guessed the cup was supposed to go. If he could find any cups. He’d deal with that if he ever figured out the coffee maker. He could only find one button, on top of it and then a little screen and he didn’t even know where to pour the water. But he needed coffee! Of course, he could just grab some to go; he and Cas had visited a little convenience store last night to buy the beer they never drank and which was now sitting on the coffee table in the living room. With that plan he found his boots and jacket and left the building. He purchased two cups of black coffee, because it seemed that Cas couldn’t even get to the kitchen to make his own without having coffee first. Wonder how he managed that on other days? Dean thought that Cas might not even drink it, seeing as he had a fancy, multifunctional monster of the future why would he settle for stale, black coffee? Whatever, he’d already bought it.

Dean put the paper cup that the waitress that written her number on, on Cas’ night stand. He figured that might give off some hint that he would want to see him again. In the kitchen he found a notepad and scribbled a short note along with his phone number and then he ran for the bus.

He was late but not terribly so. No more late than Benny who walked in an hour before lunch break in his clothes from the day before. He didn’t get right to work but decided to bother Dean a little first. About how he also was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. 

“Sorry to skip out on you like that, you know how it is when you see a pretty girl,” Benny swung his legs up on the tool table.

Dean stayed buried underneath the hood of some early 2000 Volvo and shrugged. 

“So when did you leave? And who with?” Benny took the lid off his paper cup and blew away the steam. 

Dean shut his eyes tightly, “I don’t remember, it was pretty late and, uh, someone named Cas.” Why was he telling him this? He should keep his mouth shut. 

Benny seemed intent on discussing one night stands further, despite them only having known each other for a month and Dean cringing at every question about his “mysterious lady-friend”. Dean was close to smashing the top of the hood down on his face when the boss saved him. Dean had never seen anyone with a hangover run as fast as Benny had done just then.


	3. Call Me Maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Castiel call Dean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not loving this chapter, but it's kind of a filler so I'm really just over it. 
> 
> I realize I'm posting these chapters way too fast after one another and I'll end up stressed out, but I have 6 chapters ready and I'm just really impatient. Youngest child in my family, you know how it is.

Castiel hadn’t called. Dean was only thinking about it because he had been so genuinely nice when they had met. And because Cas had drunkenly confessed to having been crushing fantastically on Dean since the moment he first saw him on the bus. Of course there was the standard Sex & The City-Cosmo-first-of-all-dating-rules-rule about not calling for three days and really only one had passed. Dean was looking at his phone trying to convince himself that he wasn’t that desperate for a guy he’d talked to once to give him a call. He’d probably be on the bus tomorrow anyway. Just as Dean decided to settle on that thought, his phone did ring. Dean grinned when he saw the display, “Hey Sammy!”

Dean missed Sam a lot. He’d always been around, always. But Dean couldn’t be happier that he was at Stanford, he was like some embarrassing, proud mother the way he never missed an opportunity to brag about his little brother. And they lived less than an hour apart, now that Dean had relocated to San Francisco. Dean still felt it though. They’d shared everything growing up, lived so very close to each other, sharing rooms, sometimes even a bed. Dean, who’d been left alone with him at the age of fourteen, had tried his hardest to do what was best for Sam. Still did, working way too many hours a week to cover Sam’s college tuition, cover what the aid didn’t. Bobby had offered to help, but it was Dean’s responsibility. He was Sam’s legal guardian after all, had been since he turned 18. Taking care of Sam had always been Dean’s job and it always would be.

“- I really want to ask her out, I just don’t know how to go about it,” Sam whined and Dean rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered how in hell they could possibly be related. 

“Stop being such a dork, I thought you got over your fear of girls in high school,” Dean grinned while looking for nothing in particular in the fridge. He could practically hear Sam’s bitchface.

“No one in high school was as smart as Jess –“ Dean interrupted him

“She’s so smart she wouldn’t say yes, you mean?” making Sam groan. 

“Stop being a jerk, Dean! But yeah, she probably would say no. I just – I don’t know, man. I’m meeting her at the library in like 20 minutes!”

“Then stop being a bitch and just ask. Don’t call me till you’ve asked her, I’ll be busy pretending that we aren’t related until you do.”

“Yeah-yeah. How’s San Francisco? You’ve made any friends yet? Or whatever you want to call it,” Dean knows Sam is asking because he’s still worried. No way in hell does Sam actually want to hear about Dean’s potential sex life. That’s what Dean tells him too.

“You’re right, I am worried. Lisa was the first girl you even bothered trying with since Cassie and you were together for a long time and I just don’t think you can be that happy sleeping around the way you do,” Sam shouldn’t be a lawyer, he should be a fucking therapist or some shit. Dean is over the break-up, really he is. It was just… Letting people in isn’t always fun in the long run, so he tries very careful with it. 

“Don’t worry about me, Sammy.” 

Shortly after that Sam has to go meet up with this brilliant, beautiful, magical Jess so Dean wishes him good luck and promises to call him sometime during the week.

Sunday eventually rolls into Monday and Dean tries to not think about the blue-eyed man with the perfect ass whose bed he spent Saturday night in and who didn’t call. Dean had noticed him on the bus before, that was true, but he hadn’t been paying him that much attention. How much attention do you pay to anything at 7.30 in the morning, anyway? As the bus passes an idyllic-looking park, Dean thinks that Cas must be getting on soon, because Dean is getting off in six stops. And right he is. 

Dean smiles when he sees his dark locks and tries subtly to get his attention. But no dice; Cas doesn’t see Dean. Actually he seems to be turning away from him rather deliberately and stares out the window while drinking coffee from a thermo mug. Dean brushes it off as it being a Monday morning thing, Dean had witnessed Cas in the morning, so it’s very likely he’s right. Cas had, after all, already told him that he was interested. He couldn’t have changed his opinion just like that, right? He wouldn’t get that disappointed over take-away coffee, would he? Dean doesn’t think so and figures he’ll try again tomorrow if Cas doesn’t call later.

Cas doesn’t. Neither does he as much as acknowledge Dean’s existence on Tuesday and is in the middle of doing it Wednesday as well when Dean confronts him.

He ventures up to his spooning partner and gets close enough that Cas can’t not look at him. He’s wearing sweatpants and Dean really hates that, because come on. You’ve seen guys in sweatpants; it doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination. “Have I really managed to piss you off so much in just a few hours that you won’t even look at me?” Dean does smile when he says this, he doesn’t wanna start off being bitchy. 

Cas, apparently, doesn’t mind starting off being a little prissy, judging by the look he gives Dean, “I would just have appreciated if you had told me that you weren’t interested. You didn’t have to go through all the trouble of giving me a fake number and then hoping I take the hint.”

Dean stares at Cas, who beneath his glare looks kind of hurt. “Fake number? What are you talking about?” Dean was pretty sure he’d written his number down correctly.

“Yeah, on the paper cup. I tried to call it straight away and I get a hold of some Vicki who doesn’t even know anyone by the name of Dean,” Cas manages to look both defeated and pissed off simultaneously. 

Dean wants to laugh and cry and kiss Cas. “Cas, that number was the waitress’ who sold me the coffee. It was meant for me, but I just... I don’t know… I didn’t want it. I left my number on your notepad in your kitchen!”

Cas blushes at this and looks down at his Toms. “Did you really?” he mumbles and Dean does laugh this time.

“Yeah. Cas, of course I didn’t leave you a fake number, come on!” 

Cas smiles slightly, “How embarrassing. I’m so sorry, Dean. I’ve been treating you pretty unfairly these past few days. I hope you can forgive me?” He looks up at Dean hopefully. 

“Well, you have been kind of an asshole, but if you let me buy you dinner, I might consider forgiving you,” Dean smirks. 

Cas smirks too, “Wow, you really are vengeful, huh? But yes, dinner sounds great. When?”

“When are you free?” Cas suggests that same night. 

“Sorry, Cas, my shift runs late on Wednesdays. How about tomorrow?” Dean asks. He hopes they won’t have to wait too long to go out.

“Can’t, I have evening practice. I’m free on Friday?” Cas looks hopeful. Dean, luckily, is free on Friday and he gets so excited he forgets to ask evening practice for what. And then they’re at Dean’s stop and Cas kisses his cheek when he says goodbye and the day just can’t get any better.

When Friday rolls around (Thursday seemed unusually long) Dean is not freaking out. Nope, he is not. He. Will. Not. He slips on his favorite jeans – the ones that makes his ass look great and gets him laid every time – and pulls a black t-shirt over his head. He shrugging his plaid button-down on as he swings the closet-door shut to look at the result in his full-length mirror, the one Sam is always making fun of him for owning. 

He looks good. Of course he does, Sam got the brains, Dean got the looks. Or something. He winks at himself, once, and tries not to laugh at the cheesiness of that as he pats his pocket to make sure he’s got wallet and keys. 

He whistles all the way down the water-stained stairs and even holds the door open for the lady who lives above him and who he’s pretty sure is a crack whore, and his smile perseveres despite grey skies threatening to rain.

Dean hasn’t been this excited about a date in a long time.

Cas is already sitting at a table for two when Dean enters the café they had agreed to meet at. Cas had decided, he’d lived in the area for a while; he knew which places were good for first dates. Dean probably would have just brought him to some diner. Or Olive Garden. 

Cas stands up when he spots Dean and smiles excitedly. A second later he has gotten control over his emotions and the smile is much more polite than it is genuine. Dean is a millisecond away from leaning in to kiss his cheek when Castiel’s cool disposition makes his balls shrink. “Hi, I’m glad you could make it,” Cas doesn’t sound that interested and Dean spares a look on his left wrist. He isn’t late so he doesn’t know what he could’ve already messed up.


	4. A Complete Beginner's Guide to Dating by Singles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas has a date with DEAN, the absolute hottest co-passenger on his bus, and he's not too confident in his skills on the dating scene. His friends come to the rescue and everybody has a bad time.

Cas walks into the studio Wednesday morning and is immediately ambushed by Meg and Gabriel: “Did you confront you spooning partner yet?!” they want to know.

“Good morning to you too. Actually, he confronted me – for not having called him.” Cas throws his duffle bag in the corner of the studio and slips off his Toms before pulling off his sweatpants to reveal skintight leggings. He pulls out his pointe shoes.

Gabriel holds on to the barre as he slides into a split, “For not having called him on a fake number? He got some nerve.”

“Yeah, especially since you actually did call that fake number.” Meg still finds that hilarious, and Cas is just so embarrassed. This is definitely one of those things that’ll he remember in like two years at 1AM while trying to fall asleep. Like that time in second grade when he asked his teacher when he would grow boobs.

“That wasn’t his number, it was all a misunderstanding. Anyway, doesn’t matter-“ Cas waves his hands as a gesture to move one “- we have a date this Friday!” he smiles proudly. Then he looks around at the other dancers, “Does anyone know when the fitting for the costumes is?”

Laughter sounds from the barre across the room where Balthazar and Anna are stretching and blatantly ignoring his question. “When was the last time you even went on a date? Crowley? And you guys were in a committed relationship so that doesn’t even count.” Balthazar grins.

Anna chimes in “You do have a tendency to get a little excited, might scare him off.” Cas thinks they’re being rather mean, but knows he’s just being sensitive.

“So what then? Cancel? Never date again? Regrow my virginity and get 14 more cats?” Castiel asks.

Meg grins, “Seems like you’ve already planned your single happily-ever-after.”

“Listen, Cassie. You don’t gotta worry, we’re here for you. We’ve actually all been worried you might get serious about adopting more cats. Two is already too many, you know, kinda seems like you’ve already given up. Anyway, you know we’re all well versed in dating around here. Except maybe from Meg, she’s just a slut.” Gabriel says from the floor. Meg kicks him with a leg warmer clad foot.

“So what?” Castiel grabs on to the barre and starts warming up.

“You gotta play hard to get.” Meg says. Balthazar laughs and makes some dumb joke that he’s already hard to want. Everyone ignores him.

“Like… How?” Cas asks, plié-ing. 

“Don’t laugh at his jokes. Smile maybe – if it’s a good one.” Anna says to which Gabriel responds “Harsh.”

“Don’t initiate a hug when you see him, wait for him to do it.”

“Don’t ask a lot of questions about himself, or if you do, seem disinterested in his answer.”

They keep going and Castiel thinks it all seems very cold, but he’s the one who hasn’t been on a date in a year. As the only one in the company. When Chuck, the choreographer walks in they all shut up.

X

Cas arrives at the café before Dean and chooses a table near the window. Dean shows up not two minutes later and Cas cannot help the huge grin before he remembers the cool disposition that’s supposed to help him win over the man of his dreams.

Dean is charming and funny and everything Cas knew he would be, but it’s clear Dean’s confused at Cas’ behavior and it makes Cas feel like shit. Like a shit shitty asshole. They’d had so much fun at the bar last week, and he could only remember half of it.

“… So this tiny dog was chasing me and I was freaking out like you wouldn’t believe. Never been that high in my life.” Dean is laughing and Cas can’t help laughing too, both because of the story but also Dean’s infectious laughter. He looks amazing in the warm glow coming from the candle on the table and Cas wants to touch his face. 

Castiel is really regretting ever taking advice from his friends/colleagues. But he feels like it was the better move, really, as he honestly doesn’t know anything about dating and all its rules. He just wishes there was a rule that’d allow him to spend the rest of the night with Dean, maybe ask him to go for a walk by the beach, sharing ice cream. Maybe invite him home with him again. 

Instead, by the end of the night, after Dean has offered to pay and Castiel really wanted to protest but was trying to seem like that was the least Dean could do, they part ways. Cas presses a dry kiss to Dean’s cheek – he does that with all his friends, he’s a well-travelled gay man for chrissake, and Dean hugs him while asking if he wants a ride. Cas says no, only because it’s too awkward to say yes after they already said goodbye. 

When Cas gets home he spends the rest of the night drinking the beer he and Dean had bought the weekend before on their way home, with Meg (who’s the only one who’d drink with him on a night before morning practice), and regretting his behavior. Meg, of course, says “Just you wait and see, I bet he’ll call you before it’s even been three days.”

Dean does.


	5. My Date Is Being Mean to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really tiny chapter about the post-date time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize just how short it was until I copied it from my document lol..

The day after their strange date that was awkward of ‘dinner before prom’-proportions, Dean calls Castiel. They’d had such a good time at the bar and he’d seemed fun and relaxed on the bus when they’d finally cleared the whole number-fiasco up. And then the date had happened. Dean just didn’t understand what could have happened in the meantime that made Cas seem so disinterested. Dean had decided to give it another shot, maybe Cas had been tired after work, had an off day, something or the other.

Cas agrees to go on another dinner date with Dean the next week and when the evening rolls around, it’s almost a repeat performance of their first date. Castiel seems interested with steady intervals, and then seems to completely lose interest for anything Dean could ever have to say for half an hour at a time.

Dean doesn’t get it and he’s never had this hard of a time with dating before. He wonders if it’s because it’s a man this time. But he’d made a subconscious deal with himself to NOT think about that fact. If he started to have some dumb gay or bi or whatever freakout he’s pretty sure they’d be doomed, on top of Cas’ sudden cool.

X

“What crawled up your ass and died?” Pam asks from behind the screen where Dean is pretty sure she’s updating her horoscope blog, not the business calendar.

“Nothing, what do you mean?” Dean asks, pouring some stale office-coffee into a paper cup.

“You’re way behind. Which, granted, just means you’re on line with everybody else in the shop since you’re always usually ahead of them.” Pam swings her legs down from the table where they’d been resting to lean over the table and look at Dean.

He sits down in the chair adjacent to the table on the other side from Pam. He hesitates. “I met this… uhm… girl… and she was really into me, she told me, and since then we’ve been out twice and she just seems to not give a fuck anymore. Like after I asked her out she just completely lost interest.”

Pam huffs a laugh, “You know, there's no reason to lie to me. I see straight through ya.” Dean looks quizzically at her. “Yeah, the ‘girl’ you met.” Dean just sighs.

“Anyway,” Pam says, “Just ask ‘her’.”

“Ask her what?” Benny asks as he enters the room.

Dean looks nervously at Pam, hoping she won’t out him. He doesn’t think he’s quite ready for that; he hasn’t even given it any thought himself.

“Dean’s been out with this girl. And he’s complaining she doesn’t seem clingy enough.” Pam says, giving Dean a pointed look.

“No, that’s not- I just don’t get it, it’s like she just turned a complete 180.” Dean says.

“This the one you left with that one night?” Benny asks and Dean confirms. “Yeah, just ask. Or just find someone else, who gives fuck?”

Dean kind of gives a fuck.


	6. Cas Also Gives A Fuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas' behavior is clarified to Dean, and Cas' gives a fuck both figuratively and literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times in this one

The next Sunday both Cas and Dean are off work, and to Dean’s surprise Cas calls him to ask if he wants to take a stroll on the beach, maybe get ice cream. Dean doesn’t hesitate.

Dean definitely thinks this is the best date so far, but he gets so fucking confused and he can’t deal with the bullshit. He hates doubting these kinds of things because he really doesn’t have time to waste on people playing games with him. Not anymore. 

He’d agreed with himself that he had too much shit going on and he didn’t need some complicated man playing stupid games with him – it was just added stress. So he wanted to confront Cas this time, find out exactly what he’s trying to do, because frankly, Dean would rather be alone than feel unwanted like this.

They were sharing two scoops of ice cream – Dean had chosen cookie dough and Cas coconut sorbet– as they were walking along the beach in the late afternoon glow. They’re almost out of ice cream when Dean brings it up.

“Cas, I gotta ask. I just don’t get what the fuck is going on here,” he gestures between them with his tiny, purple plastic spoon.

“First you confess you’ve had some secret bus crush on me or something, and then there was the whole number fiasco, and I get that that was my fault. But it doesn’t really matter anyway.” He quiets for a few seconds to collect his thoughts.

“I really like you and I thought you felt the same way. But these dates, they just… You just seem so uninterested, like I don’t think you’ve listened to one word I’ve said – even if you asked, and I just don’t get it.” They both stand still, and Castiel is squinting and blocking the sun with the hand that’s holding a tiny, green plastic spoon. The cup with the ice cream is in his other hand. He sighs.

“Jesus Christ, I am never listening to them again.” He says, Dean thinks, more to himself than to Dean.

“Look, it’s just- I haven’t dated in a while, okay? And I got so nervous, because you’re just so frigging hot, and then all my friends said I had to, like, act like I didn’t like you and like I got asked out all the time and I had to wear skinny jeans and tank tops or something. Only order foods I could eat with my fingers, I don’t know.” Cas explains the dating rules his friends had given him.

Dean looks incredulously at him. Then he bursts out laughing. “Your friends told you to play hard to get? With someone you’ve already seen naked?”

“We did get naked that night, didn’t we?” Cas laughs, and Dean joins in for a moment. 

“I’m so sorry, Dean. I just didn’t know what to do and I didn’t want to blow it before it even started.” 

Dean nods, “Yeah, okay. From now on please just be yourself?”

“Yeah, though the real me might be really clingy, you know.”

They both laugh again and Dean says that he doesn’t mind.

“Wait, isn’t there a rule about the third date being the date you… you know?” Dean winks at Cas, and he blushes.

“Technically this is our first date, you know, since those two shitty ones don’t count anymore.”

“Can’t they just count in numbers?” Dean grins and earns himself a slap on his bicep.

“Well, I guess you already know I would’ve slept with you that first night. No reason to play virtuous now.” They both laugh.

And after Castiel’s weird behavior has been explained the two actually, FINALLY have a great time, this time really starting to get to know each other. Cas buys them corn dogs and cheese fries for dinner and they eat them looking over the dark bay as the sun has already set. Cas even lends Dean his sweater when he shivers and Dean tries not to let that get to his patriarchy-based pride.

Dean offers Cas a ride, which he accepts this time, and even though Cas doesn’t even SAY anything about his baby except that she must be a gas guzzler, he lets him choose the radio station.

In turn Cas invites Dean inside. Dean smiles politely at the doorman whom Cas greets, then ignores that Cas actually lives in a building that has a doorman. They’re alone in the elevator.

“Remember last time we were here?” Dean smirks. The two walls on the sides are mirrors. The doors are covered in red fabric. The elevator in Dean’s building is covered in fabric too, but he’s pretty sure he once got lice from it. He’d since gotten an email suggesting he take the stairs, as the elevator hadn’t made the last check-up. 

Cas blushes and laughs. They’d been making out, unzipping pants and unbuttoning shirts.

There’s a ding as they reach the second floor, but no one gets in. Then they start making out, Dean grabbing Cas’ waist and pushing him against a fabric covered wall, Cas’ fingers holding on to Dean’s short strands of hair.

On the fourth floor the doors open and they make their way to Cas’ apartment where he fumbles with the keys for a minute while Dean sneaks his hands under Cas’ T-shirt to feel warm, smooth skin.

The door makes a ‘click’ and Cas grins diabolically at Dean and all but throws him into the apartment, prowling after him.

This time there is no pit stop on the couch but they slam into the walls a few times, trying to get each other out of clothes while never ceasing to make out.

Cas pushes Dean onto the bed and pulls his jeans off his legs. He kisses a trail up his stomach and before he reaches his mouth he says, “Don’t fall asleep this time” and pecks him on the lips.

Dean can only nod at Cas’ retreating back.

He comes back, forgetting to turn off the light in the bathroom but kicking the door shut after him.

Cas throws the blue bottle of lube on the bed next to Dean, who is naked now. Dean picks it up while Cas steps out of his socks.

“Blueberry?” Dean snorts, which earns him a blush and a playful glare.

“It’s the only kind I’ve got.”

“Kinky.” Dean chuckles and is cut short when Cas throws himself at Dean, straddling him as he kisses him.

Dean’s never been in this position before. Well, he’s been straddled, but not with the feeling of a hard dick poking his stomach, smearing pre-cum on his abdomen. He’s really, really enjoying it. He rolls a hand around Cas’ penis and starts stroking it and is rewarded with a gasp and a deep moan in that dark, sexy voice of his.

After a little while of Cas grinding against Dean’s dick while Dean is jacking him off, he reaches behind Dean and presents him with the lube. Covered in little blueberries that look suspiciously like balls with little faces. What lube company would put a picture of blue balls on their bottle – blueberry flavor or not?? 

“Dean,” Cas interrupts his stupid train of thought.

“Sorry, just wondering why there are blue balls on this bottle.” Cas laughs and takes the bottle from him, opens it and pours some into Dean’s hand. The scent of artificial blueberries spreads.

“If you keep wondering you’re gonna give ME blue balls!” Cas climbs off Dean’s lap to lie back-down on the bed, spreading his legs slightly in invitation.

Dean, of course, has no fucking idea what he’s actually supposed to do. But he’s done this with a few girls and figures it can’t be that different. He’s confident Cas will tell him if he’s doing anything wrong anyway.

He rubs the lube between his hands to warm both it and his fingers, pours some extra on there, before circling in on Cas, looking up at him through his lashes.

He runs his lubed up fingers up Cas’ thigh, leaving a smear and a shiver through the other man. He follows his finger with kisses and licks, ending at the base of his penis. He licks at the head, giving his balls a squeeze before pressing a finger against his hole – which by the way does he wax that shit? Is Dean supposed to do that too?!

Cas shakes at Dean’s touch, sighing his name. It makes Dean smile and he’s urged on to take Cas’ dick in his mouth, pressing against his hole at the same time. Cas moans.

After a little while Dean has two fingers in Cas’ ass and is practically deep-throating him, which, okay, that’s a thing he can do. Cas is a sweaty, moaning mess.

“Please, Dean, you gotta fuck me. Feels so good.” His eyes follow Dean as he gets up on his knees to tower over Cas, smiling. He crawls into him to kiss his lips.

“Got a condom?” Dean asks. And Cas kind of jumps.

“Yeah- yes, of course. Wow, I almost forgot.” Dean gets back up on his knees as Cas reaches for a single silver packet in his bedside table drawer.

“You’re friends gave you that kind of shitty advice and didn’t remind you to wear a rubber?” Dean jokes.

Cas scowls at him, “Maybe I lied to them about exactly how long it’s been.”

Dean doesn’t know if he should be worried or relieved at that. It cannot possibly be longer since Dean had gay sex – namely never. He just laughs, “I’ll be gentle” which warrants a responding laugh from Cas.

He was joking, but he is being gentle. With the rubber safely on he leans on an elbow next to Cas’ head and uses his other hand to guide his penis to Cas’ hole. He starts pushing in and Cas makes a face. “Is it okay?” Dean asks.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s great. Just… stretching.” Cas smiles up at Dean, hair curling in sweat on his forehead. 

“You tell me if I have to do anything differently, alright?” Dean says and Cas nods.

A few seconds later Dean is balls-deep in Castiel. He takes a moment to grasp that notion. He is balls-deep in Castiel. The other man gets impatient and wiggles a little, “Come ON, Dean!” he says through clenched teeth, and Dean starts fucking him.

It’s pretty fucking great and Dean feels close to coming all the time, both from the tight softness of Cas’ ass around his dick, but also from the sounds Cas makes. He is NOT quiet in bed.

“Argh, fuck yes, oh my GOD DEAN! It’s so good, yeah. Touch my dick (Dean does). Yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeaaaaaa-“ and Cas comes all over his own chest and stomach, and he’s not even done coming when Dean explodes inside of him, groaning and biting into Cas’ shoulder.

Dean slips out of Cas and lies down next to him. Cas smiles up at Dean and he returns it. “That was awesome!” Cas exclaims. Dean actually fucking GIGGLES.

“It was. It really was.” He moves to cuddle Cas, but Cas sits up, reaches to the floor and uses Dean’s T-shirt to wipe the semen off his torso. Dean isn’t even mad. Cas accepts the cuddles then and they fall asleep much like they had the first time they shared Cas’ bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When a word is capitalized it's because I don't know how to italicize it.


	7. Who's Your New Girlfriend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas' T-shirt outs Dean at work.

Their alarms go off at the exact same time. Dean’s is the most basic annoying iPhone tune, Castiel’s is La Vie En Rose.

“Argh! Stop, what is that torture?!” Cas pulls the covers over his head. Dean sleepily reaches for him phone, presses snooze. La Vie En Rose continues, apparently Cas’ phone or alarm clock is connected to some wireless speaker.

“What the fuck is that?” Dean asks, staring into the ceiling having realized that he won’t get those extra 7 minutes of sleep. Cas peaks out from the covers and he looks so cute that Dean grins at him and engulfs him in a cuddle, covers and all.

X

Dean gets to work and getting off in the shower with Cas and having really fancy Keurig® morning-coffee has him in a good mood despite him having to wear a T-shirt of such nice quality that it is obvious it isn’t his, since there was cum on his own T-shirt. Luckily he has a plaid flannel to wear over it, and his jumpsuit at work.

It doesn’t go unnoticed though.

“Whose shirt is that?” Charlie asks from where she’s sitting on the worktable in the shop.

Dean hurriedly pulls up the top of his jumpsuit, sliding his arms into the sleeves that are almost stiff with oil and sweat. He should really take it home and wash it.

“Mine,” he growls getting a tool case from under the table. Before he can escape to the first car of the day, however, Charlie is at him again.

“As if! I don’t think anyone here’d believe you actually owned a T-shirt that cost more than $20 – much less a brand name one!” she grins, “hey Benny! How believable is it that that is Dean’s own a Lacoste T-shirt?”

Benny looks up from where he was bend over an engine. And cracks the fuck up, “is it second-hand?” Dean hates both of them.

Dean zips up his jumpsuit. “You know, I actually have a car to fix. Fuck you two.”

X

Dean is just digging in to the Roadhouse burger Jo had brought him when the fucking T-shirt is brought up again.

“Okay, okay! I admit it: I had a date and I spent the night. Of course it’s not my soft as fuck, fitted T-shirt. Just give it rest, will ya? Fucking children.” Dean at last explains, stuffing five fries into his mouth at once.

Jo and Pam whoops. Benny whistles, “she finally stopped playing hard to get?”

Charlie finishes her zip of her milkshake quickly, “oh please, that ain’t no girl’s T-shirt.”

Everybody shuts the fuck up and Dean wants to die and move far away and never talk again. He shrugs. Then he gets up and throws away his trash; the break is over anyway.

“So what?” Benny asks as he hurries to catch up with Dean on the way from the main building with the office and break room to the court where the cars are, “you’re seeing a guy?”

Dean doesn’t know Benny that well. They’ve worked together for a little over a month now and they get along well. Dean wants them to keep getting along; Benny’s the closest he’s been to having a friend who is a guy since… Ash probably. He hopes this won’t matter.

“I don’t know” Dean stops walking and Benny turns to look at him. “Yeah, I guess I am.” They stand there, looking at each other for a little while. Benny looks confused.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” They start walking again. “It’s not a big deal, Dean. I just feel kinda bad I kept pestering you about girls now.”

Dean sighs. “Look, I don’t know, okay? I don’t- This isn’t… Look, I’m not gay. Cas is the first guy I’ve…” He doesn’t why this is so hard. Maybe because he hasn’t allowed himself to think about it yet and now he has to explain it to someone else.

Or not. Benny holds up his hands, “look, it’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it, okay? I’m just happy you’re getting laid,” he huffs a laugh along with the last part and Dean can’t help a chuckle. He’s relieved this isn’t something he has to deal with right now.

X

“Does it matter if you’re done with finals? I’m only an hour away, we could just grab dinner some night or something.” Dean is pacing around his kitchen, rolls his eyes when he notices the herbs he’s completely let die in his windowsill. 

“I guess. But it’s gonna be thanksgiving soon and Jess invited to come home with her. To meet her family.” Sam says, like this isn’t the first Dean is hearing about it. Before he can say anything Sam continues: “I figured we’d go to Bobby’s for Christmas, and maybe the two of us could just do Thanksgiving the weekend before.”

Dean leans his forehead on the doorframe. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. Did you talk to Bobby about this?” Sam confirms that he did.

“How are you doing, Dean? How’s the job? Are you seeing anyone?” he asks.

“I’m great, the job is going really well. You know, there’s a real team there. Not like the last place.” Dean tells him. 

“That’s good.” There’s a little silence where Dean wonders if Sam is going to bring up the ignored question or not. Then Sam does. “You should start dating again, Dean. I know you got hurt, but you can’t let that hold you back forever.”

Dean mimics kicking the dinner table even though Sam can’t see. “I am, okay. I am seeing someone.”

He can only imagine Sam jumping up and down with excitement. Probably going to get Jess to braid his hair while he gushes to her later. “Who? Is it serious?”

“I don’t know, I guess. I’m trying not to think too much about it.”

“Hmm, makes sense. What’s her name? Are you gonna spend Thanksgiving with her?” Sam sounds SO excited.

“Yeah, mmm, I don’t think so. You know, I really gotta run, all my clothes are at the Laundromat, someone’s gonna throw it onto the street if I don’t empty the machine in time.”

“Dean, wait-“ Dean hangs up. He will tell him, honestly. But, of course, he has to make sure that what he and Cas have lasts. What if he came out for no reason at all?? Dean pops open a can of beer, pours a little into the herbs in his window before taking a sip.


	8. Come Together (Not Like That)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel is very fancy and throws a cheese and wine party, but also kind of trashy in that it is in lieu of watching Eurovision online. Dean gets to meet all the friends that gave Cas that horrible advice and Balthazar brought gin.

“Dean WIN-chester.” Dean articulates to the receptionist in Cas’ building. Yeah, there’s a receptionist. The door to Dean’s building doesn’t even lock.

“Hm, I can see he is expecting guests tonight. Let me call him and let him know you’re here,” the snot-nosed redhead says. Dean tries not to roll his eyes. Apparently, because she hasn’t seen him before Cas has to confirm that he is expecting him. Not Dean’s fault he’s only ever been to Cas’ place late at night.

After a minute of confirming with Cas the receptionist hangs up and smiles at Dean. “It’s okay. Go on up.” 

Dean rolls his eyes a couple of pent-up times when he gets into the elevator. Goddamn receptionist. What was it Cas did anyway? Dean didn’t think he’d actually ever been told. But he knew Cas wore sweatpants a lot, practiced something every day of the week and made a lot of money. Maybe he was a model. Like for fitness clothes? He had the most insane quads Dean had ever seen in his life.

On the fourth floor Dean gets out of the elevator and instantly realizes that he has no friggin idea which apartment Cas lives in. They’d been making out both times Dean had been there. He looks at the first door on his right to see if there’s a name. But no, the mail is probably all delivered in the reception. He pulls his phone out – maybe it was in the invitational message.

[Hey everybody! My brother taught me how to connect my laptop to my TV screen so I think we should stream Eurovision on it. Friday night 8PM for cheese and wine! Bring your own wine. Xox Cas] No such luck. And also Dean had to accept that he was dating someone who signed their texts “xox.”

Dean doesn’t get to consider his next move before the elevator unloads the next batch of guests. Well, Dean doesn’t actually know if they’re guests. A group of petite girls and slimly toned guys walk out, all with bags clinking with bottles or with various wines and liquors under their arms. 

Dean thinks it safe to assume that they are Cas’ party guests, and apparently the feeling is mutual. “Hi! Are you … Dean?” a little redhead asks. He confirms. “You know, I get it now. You really are handsome.”

Dean doesn’t get to respond because Cas has already opened the door that one of the others had knocked on. “Hey! Hands off, Anna. He is mine!” Cas laughs and the redhead – Anna – giggles.

Everyone is hugging and air kissing cheeks it seems and Dean doesn’t want to get caught up in all of that so he is the last one to enter Cas’ apartment.

“You know, I wasn’t actually sure which number was you. I’ve always been too busy making out with you to notice.” Dean says to Cas when he finally gets to him. Cas snakes an arm around Dean’s waist and laughs a little before kissing him. 

Dean really fucking loves this feeling. They’ve shared a failed one-night-stand, two horrible dates and one good one and Dean was already meeting his friends. He was already feeling like he’s in a steady relationship. Well, he hasn’t farted in Cas’ company; he’s not sure what the custom is in a gay relationship. He has taken a dump in his bathroom though.

He sets the six-pack of beer he brought on the kitchen counter. The kitchen is currently too crowded for him to get to the fridge. A woman with black, curly hair is uncorking a bottle of red wine, a guy with blond hair and, Dean’s pretty sure, a British accent is taking out wine glasses, and a guy who’s quite a few inches shorter than Dean is rummaging through Cas’ fridge, apparently looking for snacks. They all act like they’re at home and the banter between them flows freely.

Dean is the only one not drinking wine and he tries not to think about that fact. He is really digging the cheese platter though, filled with more cheeses than Dean actually really knew existed, thin slices of pastrami and prosciutto, and grapes. He’s sure he’s had about three billion of the little crackers with brie on. 

He had sat by the armrest, kind of on the edge of the party because everyone else seemed to know each other SO WELL. Cas is sitting right next to him, well on his way to empty the bottle of rosé in front of him.  
“Cas! The last fitting is on Wednesday, I talked to Chuck earlier. Just since you asked the other day,” Anna says to Cas. 

“Fitting for what?” Dean asks.

They all look at Cas. “You haven’t even told him what you do?” a dark-haired girl says. “I know we said to play hard to get, but you don’t gotta be THAT cold” Gabriel says. And by the way:

“what the fuck was up with that anyway? Why’d you tell him that, that really fucked me up,” Dean says. “Oops,” Gabriel says and shrugs with a smirk. Dean just rolls his eyes and looks back at Cas.

“I’m a dancer. Ballet. I honestly thought I’d told you” Cas blushes and grins apologetically. 

“What?! That’s crazy. ‘Splains your ass though” Dean smirks and Cas blushes deeper. Someone wolf whistles.

“We’re doing a show around Christmas. Cas is the Nutcracker Prince,” one of the girls say.

“Seriously? What the hell. This is seriously blowing my mind right now,” Dean admits. Then asks, “can you do a split?” which warrants a laugh from everyone. 

“Dean, if I couldn’t do a split, I’d get fired.”

Dean nods solemnly. “Interesting.” Yeah. He is definitely exploring that later.

X

Dean’s finished all of his beers and half of Cas’ second bottle of rosé (which he really wasn’t a fan of) and is just about as drunk as everybody else. The melody grand prix is still going strong.

Ruby – the black-haired girl from the kitchen – goes to pour more red wine into her glass, while she laughs at Gabriel – the short snack-thief – who’s doing a pretty spot-on impression of Ukraine’s performance. She comes to find out her bottle is empty, and whines. 

“Worry not, sweet-thing. Papa brought gin,” says the blonde with the British accent, whose name Dean has forgotten. It was kind of weird, biblical for sure. 

“Ew, Balthazar. You’re so creepy!” Anna says from the floor, where she has sprawled out half-way beneath the coffee table. 

Cas giggles (yeah, you read that right) “yeah, reel it in. Don’t scare my boyfriend off.” Dean is just about to say not to worry and that he really could have said something like that himself when it registers. Boyfriend. Well, right now is definitely not the right time to freak out about that. He doesn’t really get time to, anyway.

“I don’t care if it’s creepy. Go get the gin! Do you have tonic, Cas? I already know you only have limes, not lemons. You’re that kind of gay.” It’s Meg who says this. Dean already likes her, mostly because she’d gotten drunk the fastest and told Dean that her and Cas had made out once and Cas had offered to date her to not hurt her feelings. Dean found that hilarious.

Dean gets up to help cut limes and almost trips over one of Cas’ cats. He mumbles sorry to it. 

X

They’re out on the balcony, Balthazar and Ruby smoking cigarettes and giggling at the fact that they’re really not supposed to be smoking cigarettes when they’re already this close to a show.

Dean is admiring Cas’ view. He’s got to be making bank, living in a place like this, he thinks to himself. Cas is hugging him from behind and Dean doesn’t admit that he’s leaning into him – for more than warmth.

“Hey Dean, where about do you live?” Gabriel suddenly asks. He’s standing in the doorway, not quite committing to either outside or inside.

“Uh, out by Oceanview. I was looking for something cheap and I couldn’t really afford to be picky about it, so I pretty much accepted the first apartment I found,” Dean admits. It’s not quite Pacific Heights, the neighborhood he’s currently at a cheese and wine party in.

Ruby squints at him, exhaling the cigarette smoke. “Did you just move here?”

Dean turns to her and Cas opts to sit down on a garden chair instead. “Yeah, around two months ago or so.”

Cas looks up at him, “seriously? I didn’t know this.”

“Yeah, that’s your fault because I did actually say this on our first date.” Dean points out and Cas just looks apologetic. “Anyway, yeah, my brother is at Stanford and it got to a point where nothing was keeping me in Kansas anymore. I wanted to move into an apartment with him in Palo Alto but he wasn’t really into that idea. He moved in with some roommates and I stayed back in Kansas.”

“Are you and your brother close then?” Cas asks and Balthazar lights up another cigarette.

“Yeah, my mom died when we were kids and my dad was a deadbeat, we didn’t really have anyone else for a long time while we were growing up,” Dean says. He knows he shouldn’t bring these things up at a party, it’s such a mood kill and Dean doesn’t want to get into it or get stupid pitying looks, anyway. But he’s drunk.

“Do you pay for your brother’s college?” Ruby asks.

“He has a scholarship that’s really helpful, but yeah. At first he worked a few hours at an on-campus coffee shop but the workload from his classes got too heavy. I help with anything the aid doesn’t cover.”

“Wow, that’s… very admirable,” Cas says.

Dean shrugs, “my life and my past is the worst party conversation topics. Who wants to play charades?” he says and goes back inside.

X

It’s late when people decide to leave. Some are going out to find a bar that’s still open, which; the mere thought of that gives Dean a headache. He and Cas hug and air kiss/are air kissed goodbye (Dean can’t get himself to do that shit) before Dean starts putting however many glasses he can carry in the sink and covers the remaining cheese and meat in some cling film before placing it in the fridge. Cas is lying on the coach and Dean doesn’t think that’s fair so he joins him.

Dean puts his head in Cas’ lap and the other man starts running his fingers through Dean’s hair. “Did you have a good time?” Dean asks.

“Mm-hmm,” Cas hums affirmably. “Did you like my friends?”

“They are one crazy bunch of motherfuckers. Fucking gin. But yeah, they were cool. Totally the types to give that shitty advice though, especially Meg and Gabriel” Dean laughs.

Cas huffs a laugh too, “yeah, they get up to some weird things sometimes.” A yawn.

“Wanna go to bed?” Dean asks. Cas nods with his eyes closed. Dan stands up and gives Cas a hand. He stumbles slightly getting up and bumps into the couch table on his way past it. Dean chuckles. “You’re cute when you’re drunk, you know.”

“Shut up” he mumbles from the bedroom where he’s in the middle of taking off his clothes.

He gets under the covers and squints up at Dean, who’s now taking off his clothes. “I don’t think I can have sex right now. I’m sorry, babe.”

Dean laughs, “I wasn’t expecting you to.” He gets into bed on the other side, snuggles up against Cas and kisses him softly. “Sleep tight.”

Then he squeezes his eyes together and wiggles his feet. Cas had called him babe.

X

Dean is woken up by the sound of classical music muffled slightly by the closed door between the living room and the bedroom. He keeps his eyes closed and reaches out expecting to find Cas. When he only grasps slightly cooled sheets he opens his eyes. 

It’s still dark in the bedroom, but Dean knows the sun is up by the light shining through the sides of the curtain. He gets out of bed, holding his slightly throbbing head. He opens the door to peak into the living room, the music waaaay too loud for his hangover. He forgets to complain, however, because of the sight before him.

Cas is wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs as he twirls across the floor. Dean is mesmerized as the dark-haired man jumps, making a split mid-air. He starts twirling (is pirouettes or pliés? Dean has no idea) on one bare foot, the other leg stretching and bending to pick up more speed.

Dean understands why Cas lives in an apartment this big now, even though he lives alone – Cas has even moved his dinner table and chairs out of the way. He’s dancing right in front of a mirror that covers the whole wall.

Dean steps fully into the room instead of lurking in the doorway. The click of the door makes Cas look at him in the mirror, and he puts his foot elegantly down behind him, raises his hands and – when Dean claps – takes a bow. 

Dean is extremely impressed, especially when he considers how drunk Cas was the night before. He’s gotta be at least slightly hungover.

X

They’re eating French toast and fresh strawberries (because Cas just has that around) on the balcony, enjoying the sun and each other’s company. Then Cas seems to remember something.

“Hey Dean. You mentioned your family last night. That you pretty much took care of your brother?” he says.

Dean sighs. He knew they were going to talk about it, he just wishes it had been on his terms. Not while hung-over and all because Dean had said too much while drunk. He just nods, seeing as he just stuffed half a slice of French toast into his mouth.

“You’re parents were absent?” he asks, pouring more syrup on his breakfast.

Dean swallows even though he hadn’t chewed his bite enough and struggles for a good 5 second. He washes it down with coffee.

“Yeah, my dad started drinking after losing my mom, couldn’t keep a steady job. He would leave for weeks at a time to do whatever job he could get.”

“And just left you and your brother alone?”

“Nah, when we were younger he would dump us with a friend. Bobby is his name, he’s probably the closest thing I have to a father.”

Dean continues: “when we got older he started just leaving us some money and taking off without telling us where to. Sometimes he didn’t even leave us a number. One day he didn’t come back.”

“I was sixteen, Sam twelve. Bobby took care of us for a while and I dropped out of school to work for him. I got custody over Sam when I was eighteen, though. It didn’t change anything; I’d always taken care of him.”

Cas looks at him and then out on the city view, contemplative for a little while. Dean resumes eating.

“And you’re putting him through college?” he asks then.

“Well, as I said he has a pretty great scholarship. But then there’s the housing and everything. Sam always wanted to go to college, so there was never any question about it. He’s wicked smart.”

Cas cuts another piece of toast, now soggy with syrup. He forks it, but doesn’t bring it to his mouth. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Did you ever wanna go to college?”

Dean shrugs, “school was never my thing. I’m not real good with authorities,” he smirks. “Got into a LOT of trouble as a teenager actually. If things had been different I probably woulda dropped out anyway.”

“But you got your GED at sixteen?” Dean nods to confirm. “You’re smart.”

Dean laughs bitterly. “Getting a GED doesn’t make me smart. I’m good with my hands and figuring out how stuff works. So I fix cars, as I have been for the last nine years.”

“So what? I’m just a dancer, but just because my work involves my body it doesn’t mean I’m not smart. Just because ballet is culturally renowned doesn’t make it any more impressive than being a mechanic.”

Dean considers that. Cas has a point but Dean doesn’t want to discuss this. He hates these conversations; he’s had them with Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Sam – just about everyone who’s close to him. He could fix cars and read Vonnegut; he was not cut out for academia. Bobby had suggested getting a degree in mechanical engineering, which, honestly, was just preposterous to Dean. He knew how to fix cars; he didn’t know how to do homework. Besides, he would never have the funds for that.

“Cas, I don’t know what you’re trying to do. I fix cars and I’m okay with that. I don’t want to go to school and get some fancy degree, and I don’t need your reassurance of my intelligence, okay?”

Cas looks at Dean with wide eyes as Dean starts to get up, throwing his napkin on the table. “What, Dean, that’s not-“

“Save it! You don’t know anything about this, okay? You have money, and your family probably does too. You don’t have any idea what it’s like.” With that Dean turns and leaves, leaving Cas with a mountain of French toast and an open mouth.


	9. From Break-Ups to Make-Ups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas make up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finished writing the story now. I'll probably spend tonight editing a little bit, and then, even if I'm telling myself I'll post the two last chapters with a few days between them, I'll probably post them, like, later tonight or in the morning.

Three days later, the week is going on as normal, except Dean doesn’t hear from Cas. They don’t see each other on the bus anymore, since Dean can now afford gas and drives his baby. He’s still mad at him for… well, basically insinuating that Dean is wasting his time by doing his job. Not everyone has time and money for school, whether it be community college or a fucking dance academy.

Castiel wouldn’t get it. Dean doesn’t really expect him to, Cas obviously comes from a very different background than him, but he gets so angry when people interfere. He’s a grown ass man, he has fucking responsibilities.

X

A week goes by and Dean is really missing Cas by then. He still doesn’t call him though. The thing is, Cas doesn’t call either and it’s making Dean rethink the events of that morning. He might’ve overreacted a little bit; Cas doesn’t know that Dean’s kind of sensitive when it comes to that, comes to doing selfish things.

X

A week and a half later Dean doesn’t trust his memory anymore. All Cas actually did was compliment Dean, wasn’t it? Saying his job wasn’t a dead-end, no more than Cas’, and that Dean was smart? Dean feels worse and worse, and his coworkers definitely notice.

“Ooh, same shirt as yesterday. You get lucky last night?” Charlie wiggles her eyebrows.

“No.” Dean says, looking in the toolbox for a wrench. 

“If he did he’d be wearing nicer clothes, you know, real quality stuff,” Benny grins.

“Hey guys, maybe lay off-“ Pam gets interrupted when Dean groans angrily, “where the fuck are all the fucking wrenches?!”

Charlie makes a “oh shit” face and hurries back to the bike she was working on. Benny starts walking backwards toward the break room.

Pamela asks him what happened. Dean sighs and sits down on the worktable. “I think I really fucked up.”

She doesn’t say anything, and Dean gets the feeling she already knows what happened. But how could she possibly know that?

“I really flipped my lid over something Cas said, and I realized I overreacted. We haven’t talked in over a week. I don’t know what to do.”

“You’re too scared to call him.”

Another sigh escapes the green-eyed man. “I wouldn’t even know what to say.”

“If you want my five cents, I think you’re overreacting now. Just call. He’s too scared, too.” With that she leaves.

X

It’s after work and Dean has justified going to the Roadhouse for dinner. He’s called ahead to order a double cheeseburger with extra bacon, fries and a milkshake, so he only has to swing by and pick it up on his way home from work.

He enters the bar and he’s halfway in when he notices him. Cas. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and a dark sweatshirt, his duffle bag by his feet. His hair is slightly damp and he is beautiful. Dean gulps. Then gulps again when he notices the man sitting across from Cas.

The man has dark hair and nice features. He is also wearing an expensive-looking suit. Dean has stopped in his tracks and is standing still in the middle of the bar. His thoughts are racing.

They’re over. Cas doesn’t want him. Did he ever? Did Dean really believe that someone like CAS would want someone like HIM? How fucking stupid could he be? 

“ExCUSE me!” a waitress carrying a large tray filled with snack baskets and beers says, effectively bringing Dean back to his surroundings.

He really, REALLY can’t deal with the idea of talking to Cas, so he walks so the other side of the bar, gives his name to the waiter there, who gives him a paper bag with his food.

Dean tries to sneak out of the bar, looking over to check if Cas has seen him. And at that moment he does. Dean can see him look to the man across from him quickly and then back to Dean, his lips forming the word “shit.”

Dean’s forms “fuck” and then he all but runs out of the bar.

X

Dean makes the mature decision to get spectacularly drunk that night.

And when he’s gotten sufficiently drunk he makes the mature decision to call Cas. Lucky for him, he gets voicemail. 

“Heeeeey! Cas. Castiel. So, yeah. I have a few of your soft, dumb T-shirts. The ones you’ve probably spent way too much fucking money on. You probably want them back so you can give them to your new boyfriend. That I saw you with today. You know, I didn’t even know we were over,” he laughs bitterly, throws his empty beer can at the wall. From there he goes in another direction, about missing him and that Cas deserves better anyway. It gets really sad and pathetic, but luckily the voicemail cuts him off before he starts crying.

The next day he wakes up with a hangover and only a vague recollection of the horrible voicemail.

When he gets to work he makes the mistake of telling Charlie and Benny about it.

“Why didn’t you invite us, brotha? We coulda shared the hangover today and we’d kept you from embarrassing yourself on the phone.” Benny says sympathetically.

“Are you sure you’re really over?” Charlie asks. Dean is already feeling vulnerable due to the hangover and he thinks he might start crying if they talk about it now. He just shrugs and goes back to work.

At about 1PM Pam calls Dean from the main building, “there’s someone here to see you. Right in time for your break” she says, even though Dean took his break an hour before. Which Pam knows.

He walks over, and there, in the reception, is Cas. Dean considers walking back to the car he was working on, acting like he’s too busy, but then Cas sees him. Dean swears under his breath. Luckily his hangover is almost gone by then.

“Hey” Dean says awkwardly. Cas does the same.

“Look, Cas, I’m so sorry about that voicemail. That was incredibly stupid, you must hate me.” Dean starts babbling in apology. 

Cas holds up his hands, “Dean! Dean, relax. Look, I really have some explaining to do, it seems.”

“We’re not over. Not in my mind, anyway. I obviously overstepped a line in saying the things I said and at first I was only trying to give you some space. Then, when you didn’t call I started worrying I’d pissed you off more than I’d initially thought, and then I just got really caught up in rehearsals. And then my stupid friends said I should wait for you to call, and, honestly, I should have learned to do the opposite of what they tell me to by now. Then I got too scared and I thought it would less stressful if I just came to you,” Cas explains.

Dean feels a little better, but also a little more confused. “So who was that guy you were on a date with?”

Cas looks very confused, his mouth hanging open slightly. “Ooh! No, Dean, oh my god. That was my brother, Michael. He’s seeing my parents for Thanksgiving and passed through to say hi.” 

Dean feels his cheeks warm with a flush. He hides his face in his hands, “Jesus fucking Christ.”

Cas nods at that.

“Do you wanna get lunch?” Cas then asks and Dean genuinely smiles for the first time in over a week.

X

They’re in Dean’s bed, post-coital. Dean is snuggled as close to Cas as he can get and Cas is absentmindedly playing with strands of Dean’s hair.

“Are you going to Bobby’s for Thanksgiving?” Cas asks, looking down at Dean whose head is resting on Cas’ chest.

“No, he’s gonna be with Ellen and Jo. We decided to do Christmas together, since Sam couldn’t make Thanksgiving anyway,” Dean says, finger trailing over Cas’ pecs. Cas hums, and then grabs Dean’s hand, interlacing their fingers. He kisses Dean’s knuckles.

“You want to spend Thanksgiving with me?” he asks, and Dean lifts his head to look at him.

“I’d like that, yeah,” Dean says. “Why aren’t you gonna be with your family?”

“I only have Thanksgiving off, I have rehearsal all day both the day before and the day after. I can’t be bothered to make the trip. They’re up in Seattle,” Cas explains, and Dean asks when the premiere is.

“It’s a week before Christmas. We’re supposed to play three days, then we’re off until January 2, when we go to New York to dance.”

Dean sits up at that, “how long are you in New York?”

“Just three days.” Dean lies back down.

“Then it’s London for a week.” Dean almost falls out of the bed at that one. But granted, Dean’s bed isn’t nearly as big as Cas’, the two basically HAVE to lie as close as they currently are to fit. Much better when one is on top of the other Dean thinks devilishly. He shakes that thought from his head, “what?!”

“I’ll be travelling most of January. But after London it’s all in America, and I might be able to come back here for a few days in between performances.” Cas reassures Dean.

“Besides we can Skype,” Cas says.

Dean sighs. “Haven’t had phone sex in forever anyway.” Cas laughs. 

“I’m sure we’ll be okay.”

Before Dean can start worrying if they will, Cas' hand snakes down Dean’s side before slipping under him and finding his cock. Dean turns to his side to give Cas better access.

X

“Yeah, not letting someone that gives a blowjob like that go” Dean thinks to himself while Cas is snoring softly behind him later in the night.


	10. Giving Thanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The couple celebrates Thanksgiving! Sam pays them a visit.
> 
> Also, they bang.

When the right November Thursday rolls around the party has extended to include Charlie, Anna and Meg. 

Cas is in his kitchen prepping the turkey, while Dean is studying the recipe for green bean casserole on Cas’ Macbook. 

When the turkey is in the oven and the pair has prepared whatever they could, they go for a walk at Lafayette Park, holding hands and deciding against ice cream in anticipation of the dinner later on.

It’s Cas’ turn to talk about his family then, “they were really supportive of my choice. Probably because Michael was already committed to my dad’s business by then.” 

“He had to take it over a lot sooner that expected when my dad died a few years back. That’s when my mom retired.”

“I’m sorry, Cas.” Dean squeezes his hand.

“Thanks. I was never very close to him. He was busy all the time when I was growing up, and I was too sensitive, too much of a dreamer for him to take me seriously. I think he was relieved when I brought up the dance academy. When I got accepted it was almost as if Michael became my dad’s son and I became my mom’s.”

“And then there’s Lucifer.”

“Lucifer?!” Dean outbursts.

Cas rolls his eyes, but grins. He pecks Dean on the lips, just because he can.

“He’s the oldest. He and my dad were always butting heads. They’re so alike. Anyway, Lucifer kept getting in worse and worse trouble as he got older, and my dad gave him an ultimatum. Either he starts getting in line or he’s out of the house. He meant out the family, Lucifer had moved address long before then, was just enjoying the perks of having wealthy parents.”

“So, anyway, he left. Few months later, he starts a business – real estate – just like my dad’s. The businesses still rival, now Michael against Lucifer. ‘S why I’m not too keen on attending family holidays. Michael shows up out of respect for the family, Lucifer out of spite. And when they hit a dry wall in arguments they start trying to make me pick sides.”

Dean stops walking, pulls on Cas’ hand so they’re facing each other. He grabs Cas’ other hand, squeezing slightly, then he kisses him. It’s sweet at first. Then Cas slips tongue into the mix and Dean’s brain leaves the party. He lets go of Cas’ hands, slides his own hands around the other man’s waist. Cas’ hands find their way over Dean’s shoulders, fingers stroking the short hairs on the back of Dean’s head. 

One of Dean’s hand trails down, touching Cas’ butt. Cas’ moans into the kiss, and – as a form of distraction, because they cannot be doing this in a public park, goddamnit! – Dean pinches Cas’ butt, effectively breaking up the kiss and making the other man laugh.

They make their way home to continue their shenanigans.

X

Dean is lying on his back on Cas’ fluffy rug in the living room, Castiel kneeling between his legs. He’s sucking him off, and when a finger starts circling his hole Dean gasps and rises to his elbows. 

“I’m sorry,” Cas says, precum and saliva on his chin, “do you not want this?”

Dean does want it, has been fantasizing about bottoming for Cas for weeks now. This means that he’s spent weeks thinking about the fact that his asshole isn’t fucking hairless, and what if Cas thinks he’s gross? He’s pretty sure Cas bleaches his own hole. And apparently he voiced his concerns out loud because the fucker actually fucking laughs. 

“You shouldn’t worry about that, baby. You decide what to do with your body, and I decide what to do with mine, alright? I get mine waxed because I like having it waxed, not because I want you to wax.”

“Right,” Dean mumbles, a flush covering his cheeks.

Cas goes back down, but forgoes Dean’s dick in favor of his butthole this time. With the first stroke of his tongue against his hole Dean is up on his elbows again, “whatthefuck!” it’s more of a moan than it is a sentence. Cas grins diabolically up at him before going back down.

The scent of blueberries is in the air and Cas is three fingers deep in Dean’s ass. Dean himself is a writhing mess, begging Cas to fuck him with a fervor he will never admit to.

Cas pulls out his fingers, beckons Dean to turn around so he’s on all fours. Apparently Cas can’t help himself from one last lick. “Hmmm, blueberries.” Dean laughs.

When Cas starts pushing his dick into Dean, his laugh morphs into a groan, then a sigh.

They’ve build up a steady pace, Cas bent over Dean, biting at his neck when it starts to smell burned. “Fuck,” Cas murmurs and starts to fuck Dean faster. 

Dean had been on the brink of orgasm since foreplay and with Cas’ added force he comes immediately, right onto Cas’ expensive-looking rug. When the smoke detector starts going off Cas fucks brutally into Dean until he comes, moaning loudly, a few seconds after.

While Dean lets himself fall forwards to rest on his stomach, Cas rushes into the kitchen, dick still slightly hard.

When Dean hears swearing from the kitchen he gets up. It was the green bean casserole. 

“Honestly, I couldn’t even give a fuck. I’m just happy it ain’t the turkey,” Dean says.

X

The couple has just gotten dressed after their shower when the receptionist calls Cas’ apartment. Dean answers, while his boyfriend pulls on socks with small football motives.

It’s Charlie, and the first thing she has to say to them is: “it smells like you guys had sex in a fire in here.” Cas blushes beet red and Dean barks a laugh, “we did.”

Cas lights approximately 500 scented candles and opens another window. Dean accepts the pumpkin pie Charlie brought. 

The door phone rings again and this time Cas answers. Dean just notices the paper towels on the rug, placed there to soak up Dean’s cum, and throws it in the trash.  
By the force of sheer luck Anna has brought a green bean casserole, and Meg sweet potatoes with marshmallows. 

Dean and Anna set the table while Cas and Meg make gravy. Charlie explores Cas’ apartment, and she’s on the floor, surrounded by books, by the time Cas declares that dinner is served.

They all have a wonderful time and eat way too much. Charlie flirts a little with Anna, which just makes her blush. Meg tells embarrassing stories about Cas and Dean laughs so hard he throws up a little bit in his mouth. He learns the hard way that you shouldn’t laugh too hard on a full stomach. 

After a little while they bring out the rest of the gin from the Eurovision night, and a bottle of red wine (because Cas just has wine in his home) and get tipsy. It doesn’t get too late before they call it a night, however, and Dean and Cas make love once more before going to sleep.

X

Dean wakes up slow, covered in Cas’ crusted cum. Cas isn’t in bed, but he can hear him in the bathroom, the door is open and the water running. “Cas?” he mumbles, and the other man comes running out of the bathroom, still naked. “What are you doing?” Dean asks.

“I’m running us a bath!” he says, grinning from ear to ear, making Dean do the same.

They enjoy a bubble bath, Dean lazily jacking Cas off under the water, for a while. When Cas comes they get out, rub off and get dressed. Cas goes off to start breakfast for them, even though it is 1 o’clock and Dean checks his phone. Sam’s called. Thrice.

“Dean! Where the hell are you?” Sam says when Dean calls him back. Dean tells him he’s at Cas’.

“Okay, well, I’m standing outside your apartment.” 

“Shit, Sam. What about Jess?” Dean asks.

“She’s at home, I spent yesterday with her family, but then I wanted to see you. Her family lives in San Francisco.” He explains.

Dean face-palms as he walks into the kitchen, making Cas look up from where he’s poaching eggs. “Hold on, Sam.” Dean takes the phone away from his face, “my brother’s in town,” he explains to Cas. Cas tells him to invite him over. 

“He doesn’t know you’re a guy” Dean whispers. 

Cas squints, “and that should surprise him, why?”

Dean sighs, “I don’t… I’m not… I’ve never dated a guy before, okay?”

“WHAT?” Cas outbursts, and before he can freak out Dean says: “it’s not an issue, okay? I just forgot to bring it up. Do you still want him to come over here?”

“You and I are definitely talking about this later, Dean,” Cas says sternly, while fishing out the eggs that are now slightly overcooked. “And yeah, of course he can come.”

Dean gives Sam Cas’ address.

X

Cas and Dean have time to finish their breakfast and put the dishes in the dishwasher before the receptionist calls to announce Sam’s arrival.

Dean’s the one to open the door when Sam knocks. After hugging and wishing each other a happy Thanksgiving Dean keeps him in the hallway for a moment, “listen, there’s something I didn’t tell you about Cas.”

Sam is untying his shoes and when he looks up to answer, his eyes move slightly past Dean. “I’d say.”

Dean looks behind him, and sure enough, there is Cas, smiling shyly. And adorably in Dean’s opinion.

Sam gives Dean a look, then smiles at Castiel and extends his hand to greet him. He forgot he was in the middle of taking off his shoes, and nearly trips on his shoelaces. Dean would’ve roared with laughter, but he’s too nervous. 

He’s not even sure why, he knows Sam will be fine with this. Maybe it’s because Sam is sure to want to TALK about this later, and discuss Dean’s FEELINGS. Dean definitely feels like he’s guaranteed a chick flick moment the minute they leave Cas’ apartment.

Sam and Dean don’t stay with Cas long. Almost only long enough for Sam to take off his shoes, see Cas’ apartments, play with his cats and discuss the value of the Sylph as literature. 

When Sam asks, “so how long have you been together?” Dean urges them to leave, not wanting to get into his relationship while Cas is there. It would be a conversation sure to lead to the chick flick conversation.

X

Sam talks about Thanksgiving at Jess’ parents’ and his classes on the ride to Dean’s apartment. 

Dean has just sat down on the couch when it starts. “Why didn’t you tell me, Dean?” Sam is still standing, and Dean gets up, walks past him into the kitchen to grab a beer. He sits back down, opens the can and takes a gulp. Then he looks at Sam, now sitting on Dean’s armchair. 

“I didn’t know what to say, okay? I didn’t know if we were gonna be serious and then we suddenly just were and by then ‘Cas’ was already being referred to as ‘her’ when I talked to you, and I didn’t know how to correct you.”

“So you are serious?” Sam gives him that stupid, concerned look. Dean nods.

“Have you told Bobby?” 

“No. It’s the same thing. I don’t know how to bring it up.” 

Sam looks contemplative, then goes to the kitchen to get a beer for himself.

“You guys haven’t been together that long, have you?” Sam asks then.

“Uh, about two months, I think.” Dean says.

“How serious can you be after two months?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It’s just… You fall so fucking fast, and so hard, Dean. This is what happened with Cassie. Lisa too. I just hate seeing you get so heartbroken.” Sam’s concern turns into sadness.

“It’s not the same. This with Cas is different, and not just because he’s a guy,” Dean says the last part mockingly. “Castiel doesn’t serial-date. Cassie and Lisa were too similar to me, they got bored and flirty, or drunk and flirty.”

“How did you meet him anyway?”

Dean averts his eyes, takes a sip of beer.

“You’re joking. A one night stand? Christ, Dean, how can you say that this is different?”

“It wasn’t even really a one night stand, we didn’t even bang. Look, we had a rocky start and then we pulled through. Cas is more caring than those other bitches that only cared about themselves, and I am in love with him, so much so that I don’t care if I end up hurt. He’d be worth it.” Dean spits a little bit on Sam when he pretty much yells his statement.

They both look at the little drop of spit making a tiny dark spot on Sam’s jean-clad thigh.

“Ew, Dean.”

They start laughing at the same time and Dean is so relieved that he doesn’t have to do this right now. When their laughs fade, however, Sam looks at him for a moment before asking:

“You love him? Like really love him?”

Dean confirms, “yeah, I really do. You gotta believe me, Sam, it ain’t ever been like this.”


	11. The Nutcracker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the month of December and things seem to finally fall into place.

The first two and a half weeks of December disappears in a flurry of catching Cas in between rehearsals, Dean practically living in Cas’ apartment, just so he can catch him when he gets home at night, at least. And also because someone needs to feed Thelma and Louise, Cas’ cats. 

Dean didn’t waste many days after the visit from Sam, before he calls Bobby and tells him he’s in love, and his boyfriend has a very important role in an upcoming ballet performance, and would he, Ellen and Jo like to come and see it? Bobby doesn’t miss a beat before saying that sure, they’ll come, even if he has to listen to Jo complain about ballet being boring the whole way from Sioux Falls to San Francisco. 

Even though Bobby hadn’t said anything, Dean still can’t stop the words “thank you” from escaping his lips before they hang up.

Jo calls Dean not long after, and Dean immediately feels guilty for not having talked to her in months. He forgot how great he always feels after talking to her, probably because they’ve been so close for so long now, it’s effortless. 

X

Cas is sitting on Dean’s lap; them both in a garden chair and wrapped in a brand name quilt, to protect their otherwise naked bodies from the cool California night. It’s 2AM and they’re watching the dark sky, barely any stars visible because, duh, it’s San Francisco.

“I invited Bobby, Ellen and Jo to the ballet.” Dean says quietly, to not disturb the calm atmosphere. 

Cas turns his head to look at Dean; “I’ll tell Abbadon to put them on the list with you and my family.”

“You don’t have to. We can buy tickets.”

“I get ten free tickets, Dean, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh. So who’s that? Your mom, Michael, Bobby, Jo, Sam, Ellen and me?”

Cas confirms. Then: “would Sam like to bring Jess?”

X

Dean is wearing his nicest suit (he actually only owns one), which, granted, isn’t all that nice (he knows now, after dating Cas for a while, what a nice suit actually looks like. But then again, all suits would probably look good on Cas. Or off him. Hrm). He checks himself out in his full-length mirror for so long that he’s almost late.

He, Bobby, Jo and Ellen have dinner together. Sam and Jess are eating with Jess’ parents, who, apparently, had been planning on seeing the show since they saw the first poster back in September and since Dean, which to them basically just meant Sam’s connection, could get them in for free, Sam was now the Best Man for Their Daughter. Dean was happy to help. 

X

They all meet up at the theater – Dean’s group, Sam’s group and Cas’ family. Dean, Ellen, Jess’ mom and Cas’ mom have all brought flowers for Cas to give him after the show. Cas will be over the moon, Dean knows.

The show is… fine. Dean doesn’t get it, but the music is nice and the dancers are very good. And it’s fun for him, because he knows enough of the dancers for there always to be at least one person he knows on stage. Ruby has the biggest part – Clara, Dean remembers.

It isn’t until the end, when the nutcracker is turned into the prince, that Dean almost gets out of his chair. He is watching Castiel closely as he twirls and jumps across the stage in a red jacket and ‘are-they-even-there’ tights. He’s mesmerizing, and Dean’s almost positive that he really is the best dancer, and it’s not just because Dean loves him.

Afterwards everyone follows Cas’ family backstage (they’ve done it before, they know they customs). Cas has already taken off the jacket, and is wearing an undershirt and the non-existent leggings, barefoot. He is talking and hugging and kissing his co-workers. When he sees the large group there to see him he breaks free to advance towards them.

He is hugged and kissed by his mom, his hand shaken by Michael and before anyone else get to him, he goes for Dean. Sweat is trailing down his face, neck and arms, but Dean doesn’t care, he pulls him into an embrace, kissing him fiercely.

“You were amazing! I swear, you were the best one up there!” Dean says with a huge smile on his face.

Cas blushes and before he can say anything Gabriel pops out of nowhere, “and what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Everybody laughs. The short man sees his own family and he’s off.

Everyone is congratulating and complimenting Cas for a while, but then he has to shower and get changed, so they all leave to go to the foyer of the theater. Dean gets to chat to Cas’ mom and brother a little bit, and he tries not to feel intimidated by Michael. He seems completely uninterested in Dean and the fact that he’s dating his brother, and leaves soon after to answer a phone call.

Cas meets them again, showered and changed into a pair of black slacks and a pastel purple button-down. There’s more chatter, before Jess’ parents say it’s getting late and take off, Jess and Sam following them. Bobby, Jo and Ellen all agree it was nice to meet Castiel, and then they retreat to the motel they’re staying the night at, promising to see Dean tomorrow for brunch (and saying that it’s gayer of him to invite them to brunch, than it is of him to date a man).

The company has an unofficial party to celebrate a successful premiere, and they all take off to a rooftop bar for ginger ales and carrot sticks. The season has started, and no one dares sneak a drink, a cigarette or a carb until after the three first performances, Cas tells Dean.

X

Dean spends the night with Cas, planning on taking advantage of Cas’ flexibility. Cas is having none of it, “I’m not gonna bottom when I have a show tomorrow,” he tells Dean, as he’s getting out of his nice clothes and hanging them on a chair so they won’t get wrinkled.

“Come on, Cas, it’s not like you’re a virgin. You’re not gonna be sore,” Dean pleads from the bed, where he’s sitting against the headboard.

“Why are you so set on this? You really don’t wanna feel my dick in your ass? After I’ve spent an hour getting you good and open? I bet you’ll be begging for it, after I’ve eaten you out for just ten minutes,” Cas says, getting onto the bed, crawling towards Dean.

Dean licks his lips, “uhhh.” He says intelligently.

Cas huffs a laugh, “I bet even the smell of strawberries will make you spread your legs wide for me.” They’d run out of blueberry lube pretty fast, and Dean had bought strawberry as a joke. For some reason they tended to use that one over the plain one.

Dean whines a moan and slips down the headboard, so he comes to lie under Cas. “Yeah, you’re definitely right. You should fuck me.” Dean gives. 

Cas grins, “you’re so easy.” 

Castiel doesn’t get close to spending an hour on fingering and licking Dean, because Dean really is begging him to fuck him after only ten minutes. They have sex for an hour though, Cas fucking Dean till he’s screaming and shouting, so close to cumming, only to stop and pull out. Dean whines, pushes his hips back in search of Cas’ cock. Cas letting him have it again, slowly at first, till he’s back at pounding Dean, balls slapping against his ass. He repeats this till Dean is a mess, face pushed into a pillow that he is biting to muffle his moaning, drops of sweat sliding down his back.

Castiel doesn’t know where his self-control is coming from; he’s just as close to cumming as Dean. Just as sweaty, his hair curling in it on his forehead. He’s enjoying watching Dean like this too much to let it end though. 

Dean gets enough at last, and he pulls his hips forward, Cas falling out of him with a ‘plop’. He turns around, red-faced and sweaty, with a determined look on his face. Castiel gulps.

“You fucking tease,” Dean growls, pushing him gently, yet firmly to his back. Castiel watches Dean with wide eyes. He is so beautiful, so sexy, like this, and so sexy a little cum spurts out of his dick. He’s been trying to hold back on his orgasm for half an hour.

Dean straddles Cas, one hand on Cas' thigh as he leans back to really hit the sweet spot inside himself with Cas dick, the other around his own dick, and like that he rides Cas brutally. Cas, already amidst an orgasm comes so intensely he back arches, apparently angling something just right, because Dean’s eyes, that had been squeezed together, opens wide and he stares up at the ceiling as he comes so powerfully he hits Cas’ chin with semen.

Dean all but falls off of Cas, lying next to him. They’re heads are at the foot of the bed, but they’re too tired to rearrange themselves, so Cas just pulls the cover over them and puts his arms around Dean.

“That is seriously the best sex we’ve ever had.” Dean sighs. Cas just has time to agree before he falls asleep.

X

Charlie, Benny and Pam accompany Dean to the second show, and Dean goes by himself the third night. Then Cas has time off, and he accepts Bobby’s invitation to celebrate Christmas in Sioux Falls.

They have a great time, Cas getting Dean a collector’s edition of Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same. He gets a cat condo from Dean in return, but then it’s the end of gift-opening and there’s one gift left under the tree (Jo and Dean had insisted) and it says ‘to Cas, merry Christmas, love. From Dean’. Cas looks to Dean, a confused look on his face. 

“What? The other gift was for Thelma and Louise.”

It turns out to be a new duffle bag and a new sweat suit. Cas is grateful, his duffle bag was starting to fall apart and apparently Dean knew that Cas wouldn’t get around to buying a new one until the old one literally fell apart. It’s nicer than the old one too, and Cas insists that it’s too much. Dean ignores him. The suit is soft cotton, not too thick, but not so thin it won’t keep him warm either. It’s a light grey color, the pants cuffed at the end of the legs and Cas loves it.

Later, when they’re on their way home in Baby, Dean tells Cas to check his new duffle bag. Cas reaches to the backseat, where it sitting and pulls it to his lap. He rummages around the tracksuit until his hands comes across something firm and long. 

Cas pulls the item out, and screams when he sees what it is. Dean almost has to pull over from laughing. It is a Clone-A-Willy of Dean’s dick.

“You’re leaving soon, I don’t want you to miss me too much,” Dean winks.

Cas studies the dildo, notices it was a vibrator. He huffs a laugh, “I still will.”

“Besides, I heard you used to date some smarmy motherfucker at the company over in London,” Dean says, half-part joking.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you jealous since my brother.”

“Please, babe. Don’t bring that up,” Dean is still embarrassed by that whole fiasco.

Cas reaches for Dean’s thigh, “you don’t have anything to worry about, cock-clone or not. I love you.”

Dean places his hand over Cas’, looks briefly at him before returning his eyes to the road. “I love you too.”


End file.
